306 research outputs found
Modifying the Response of Male Broiler Chickens to Heat Stress Through Early Age Feed Restriction and Thermal Conditioning
Two experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of early age feed
restriction and heat conditioning on tolerance to acute and chronic heat stress in
male broiler chickens. In both experiments, equal numbers of chickens were
subjected to (i) 60% feed restriction on day 4, 5, and 6 (FR), (ii) exposure to
36±IoC and 50-60% relative humidity for 1 hour from day 1 to 21 (HT), (iii)
60% feed restriction on day 4, 5, and 6 and exposure to 36± l oC and 50-60%
relative humidity for 1 hour from day 1 to 21 (FRHT). (iv) ad libitum feeding
and no heat treatment (control). In experiment I, on day 35, all birds were
exposed to 39± l oC for 6 hours and 50% relative humidity. Subjecting chicks to
FR, HT and FRHT reduced HLR response to the heat challenge. Following heat
exposure, the FR and FRHT chick had greater heat shock protein (hsp) 70
density than those of controls. The hsp 70 response of HT birds was not
significantly different from the other three groups. The FRHT birds were more
hyperthermic than controls during heat challenge. In experiment II, from day 36- 50, all birds were exposed to 38± l oC and 80 % relative humidity for 2
hours/day. One day following heat exposure (day 37), all birds were
administrated intranasally with infectious bursal disease (IBD) vaccine virus.
The dosage used was l Ox of the recommended level. Subjecting chicks to FRHT
improved relative weight gain and resistance to IBD infection and reduced HLR
in response to the heat treatment as compared with the control birds. Although
there is evidence that FR and HT can improve heat tolerance, the FRHT
combination may further enhance the ability of birds to withstand chronic heat
stress. The acquired improved heat tolerance resulting from FRHT, FR, and HT
could be attributed to enhanced hsp 70 response. The trend of hsp 70 response
correlated well with IBD lesion scores, suggesting hsp 70 may play a role in
resistance against viral infection. Based on experiment I and II, it can be
concluded that the present findings confirmed earlier studies that FR is effective
in alleviating the adverse effects of heat stress. Subjecting birds to FRHT can
further improve tolerance to chronic but not acute heat stress
The chemical evolution of the solar neighbourhood
Recent models of galactic chemical evolution account for updated evolutionary
models of massive stars (with special emphasis on stellar winds) and for the
effects of intermediate mass and massive binaries. The results are summarised.
We also present a critical discussion on possible effects of stellar rotation
on overall galactic chemical evolutionary simulations.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures, Pacific Rim Conference, Xi'an, China, 11-17 July
200
A Quantum Scattering Interferometer
The collision of two ultra-cold atoms results in a quantum-mechanical
superposition of two outcomes: each atom continues without scattering and each
atom scatters as a spherically outgoing wave with an s-wave phase shift. The
magnitude of the s-wave phase shift depends very sensitively on the interaction
between the atoms. Quantum scattering and the underlying phase shifts are
vitally important in many areas of contemporary atomic physics, including
Bose-Einstein condensates, degenerate Fermi gases, frequency shifts in atomic
clocks, and magnetically-tuned Feshbach resonances. Precise measurements of
quantum scattering phase shifts have not been possible until now because, in
scattering experiments, the number of scattered atoms depends on the s-wave
phase shifts as well as the atomic density, which cannot be measured precisely.
Here we demonstrate a fundamentally new type of scattering experiment that
interferometrically detects the quantum scattering phase shifts of individual
atoms. By performing an atomic clock measurement using only the scattered part
of each atom, we directly and precisely measure the difference of the s-wave
phase shifts for the two clock states in a density independent manner. Our
method will give the most direct and precise measurements of ultracold
atom-atom interactions and will place stringent limits on the time variations
of fundamental constants.Comment: Corrected formatting and typo
Single-atom imaging of fermions in a quantum-gas microscope
Single-atom-resolved detection in optical lattices using quantum-gas
microscopes has enabled a new generation of experiments in the field of quantum
simulation. Fluorescence imaging of individual atoms has so far been achieved
for bosonic species with optical molasses cooling, whereas detection of
fermionic alkaline atoms in optical lattices by this method has proven more
challenging. Here we demonstrate single-site- and single-atom-resolved
fluorescence imaging of fermionic potassium-40 atoms in a quantum-gas
microscope setup using electromagnetically-induced-transparency cooling. We
detected on average 1000 fluorescence photons from a single atom within 1.5s,
while keeping it close to the vibrational ground state of the optical lattice.
Our results will enable the study of strongly correlated fermionic quantum
systems in optical lattices with resolution at the single-atom level, and give
access to observables such as the local entropy distribution and individual
defects in fermionic Mott insulators or anti-ferromagnetically ordered phases.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures; Nature Physics, published online 13 July 201
Neural processing of criticism and positive comments from relatives in individuals with schizotypal personality traits
Objectives. High negative expressed emotion by family members towards schizophrenia patients increases the risk of subsequent relapse. The study aimed to determine whether individuals with high schizotypy (HS) and low schizotypy (LS) would differ in activation of brain areas involved in cognitive control when listening to relative criticism
Eta Carinae and the Luminous Blue Variables
We evaluate the place of Eta Carinae amongst the class of luminous blue
variables (LBVs) and show that the LBV phenomenon is not restricted to
extremely luminous objects like Eta Car, but extends luminosities as low as
log(L/Lsun) = 5.4 - corresponding to initial masses ~25 Msun, and final masses
as low as ~10-15 Msun. We present a census of S Doradus variability, and
discuss basic LBV properties, their mass-loss behaviour, and whether at maximum
light they form pseudo-photospheres. We argue that those objects that exhibit
giant Eta Car-type eruptions are most likely related to the more common type of
S Doradus variability. Alternative atmospheric models as well as
sub-photospheric models for the instability are presented, but the true nature
of the LBV phenomenon remains as yet elusive. We end with a discussion on the
evolutionary status of LBVs - highlighting recent indications that some LBVs
may be in a direct pre-supernova state, in contradiction to the standard
paradigm for massive star evolution.Comment: 27 pages, 6 figures, Review Chapter in "Eta Carinae and the supernova
imposters" (eds R. Humphreys and K. Davidson) new version submitted to
Springe
Rosiglitazone and glimeperide: review of clinical results supporting a fixed dose combination
Type 2 diabetes has become a major burden to the health care systems worldwide. Among the drugs approved for this indication, glimepiride and rosiglitazone have gained substantial importance in routine use. While glimepiride stimulates β-cell secretion and leads to reduction of blood glucose values, rosiglitazone activates PPARγ and improves insulin resistance, at the vascular and metabolically active cells. Therefore, the combination of the two drugs may be an interesting approach to improve glycemic control and lower cardiovascular risk. A fixed combination of both drugs has been approved for clinical use in the US and EU. The combination of glimepiride and rosiglitazone is generally well tolerated and the use of a fixed combination may lead to improved adherence of the patients to their therapy. The purpose of this review is to evaluate the clinical data that have been published on this combination, appearing to represent a convenient way to obtain therapeutic targets in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus
Parent-of-origin-specific allelic associations among 106 genomic loci for age at menarche.
Age at menarche is a marker of timing of puberty in females. It varies widely between individuals, is a heritable trait and is associated with risks for obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, breast cancer and all-cause mortality. Studies of rare human disorders of puberty and animal models point to a complex hypothalamic-pituitary-hormonal regulation, but the mechanisms that determine pubertal timing and underlie its links to disease risk remain unclear. Here, using genome-wide and custom-genotyping arrays in up to 182,416 women of European descent from 57 studies, we found robust evidence (P < 5 × 10(-8)) for 123 signals at 106 genomic loci associated with age at menarche. Many loci were associated with other pubertal traits in both sexes, and there was substantial overlap with genes implicated in body mass index and various diseases, including rare disorders of puberty. Menarche signals were enriched in imprinted regions, with three loci (DLK1-WDR25, MKRN3-MAGEL2 and KCNK9) demonstrating parent-of-origin-specific associations concordant with known parental expression patterns. Pathway analyses implicated nuclear hormone receptors, particularly retinoic acid and γ-aminobutyric acid-B2 receptor signalling, among novel mechanisms that regulate pubertal timing in humans. Our findings suggest a genetic architecture involving at least hundreds of common variants in the coordinated timing of the pubertal transition
Acoustic Overexposure Increases the Expression of VGLUT-2 Mediated Projections from the Lateral Vestibular Nucleus to the Dorsal Cochlear Nucleus
The dorsal cochlear nucleus (DCN) is a first relay of the central auditory system as well as a site for integration of multimodal information. Vesicular glutamate transporters VGLUT-1 and VGLUT-2 selectively package glutamate into synaptic vesicles and are found to have different patterns of organization in the DCN. Whereas auditory nerve fibers predominantly co-label with VGLUT-1, somatosensory inputs predominantly co-label with VGLUT-2. Here, we used retrograde and anterograde transport of fluorescent conjugated dextran amine (DA) to demonstrate that the lateral vestibular nucleus (LVN) exhibits ipsilateral projections to both fusiform and deep layers of the rat DCN. Stimulating the LVN induced glutamatergic synaptic currents in fusiform cells and granule cell interneurones. We combined the dextran amine neuronal tracing method with immunohistochemistry and showed that labeled projections from the LVN are co-labeled with VGLUT-2 by contrast to VGLUT-1. Wistar rats were exposed to a loud single tone (15 kHz, 110 dB SPL) for 6 hours. Five days after acoustic overexposure, the level of expression of VGLUT-1 in the DCN was decreased whereas the level of expression of VGLUT-2 in the DCN was increased including terminals originating from the LVN. VGLUT-2 mediated projections from the LVN to the DCN are likely to play a role in the head position in response to sound. Amplification of VGLUT-2 expression after acoustic overexposure could be a compensatory mechanism from vestibular inputs in response to hearing loss and to a decrease of VGLUT-1 expression from auditory nerve fibers
The Evolution of Compact Binary Star Systems
We review the formation and evolution of compact binary stars consisting of
white dwarfs (WDs), neutron stars (NSs), and black holes (BHs). Binary NSs and
BHs are thought to be the primary astrophysical sources of gravitational waves
(GWs) within the frequency band of ground-based detectors, while compact
binaries of WDs are important sources of GWs at lower frequencies to be covered
by space interferometers (LISA). Major uncertainties in the current
understanding of properties of NSs and BHs most relevant to the GW studies are
discussed, including the treatment of the natal kicks which compact stellar
remnants acquire during the core collapse of massive stars and the common
envelope phase of binary evolution. We discuss the coalescence rates of binary
NSs and BHs and prospects for their detections, the formation and evolution of
binary WDs and their observational manifestations. Special attention is given
to AM CVn-stars -- compact binaries in which the Roche lobe is filled by
another WD or a low-mass partially degenerate helium-star, as these stars are
thought to be the best LISA verification binary GW sources.Comment: 105 pages, 18 figure
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